The All-Electric Home: Planning Your Switch Off Gas Without Blowing Up Your Switchboard

Can your switchboard handle an all-electric home? Often not without some planning. Going all-electric replaces three gas appliances with three serious electrical loads, and homes that swap them one at a time with no endpoint in mind are the ones that hit capacity problems halfway through. Plan the finished picture first and the whole transition gets cheaper, faster and safer.

⚡ Quick Answers: going all-electric in Sydney

• What replaces the gas? Hot water moves to a heat pump or electric storage system, cooking moves to induction, and heating moves to reverse cycle air conditioning.
• What is the biggest planning mistake? Replacing appliances one by one as they fail, without checking whether the switchboard and supply can carry the finished load.
• Where should you start? At the switchboard. Board condition, spare ways and supply size decide everything that follows.
• Do you need three phase? Not always. Many homes electrify fully on single phase with smart load choices, but the question should be answered once, early, not rediscovered mid project.
• Does the order of works matter? Yes. Circuits, board work and metering done together in planned visits cost far less than four separate call outs.

1. What actually replaces gas

An all-electric home swaps out three workhorses. Gas hot water becomes a heat pump hot water system, which needs its own circuit and a tariff decision. The gas cooktop becomes induction, which needs a properly sized dedicated circuit; our guide to getting your switchboard induction ready covers that swap in detail. Gas heaters give way to reverse cycle air conditioning, and if you are considering a large ducted system, the three phase question for ducted aircon deserves an early look.

Each change is routine on its own. The catch is what they add up to.

2. The one-at-a-time trap

Most households electrify reactively: the gas hot water dies, a heat pump goes in. A year later the cooktop follows, then a heatwave sells the ducted aircon. Each installer checks only their own appliance, and nobody owns the total picture.

The result shows up late: no spare ways on the board for the induction circuit, or an aircon quote that collapses because the supply is already full. Fixing capacity mid transition is always dearer than planning for it up front, a point our renovation decisions guide makes about building works generally.

3. Start at the switchboard, not the appliance shop

Before pricing a single appliance, get the board assessed. Three questions decide the plan: Is the board itself modern and safe, or is it an old fuse box that needs replacing anyway? How many spare ways are left for new circuits? And what is the supply actually rated at?

If the board needs upgrading, do it first and size it for the finished home, not the current one. Our switchboard upgrade guide covers what that involves.

4. Add up the demand before you commit

The whole transition turns on one number: the maximum demand of the finished, all-electric home. The calculator embedded on this page gives you a first estimate, and our companion post on maximum demand and spare capacity explains how to read the result.

Two things follow from that number. If the finished load fits your existing supply, you can sequence the swaps freely. If it does not, you know now, while there is still time to choose between load management, tariff timing and a supply upgrade. Significant load increases can also mean a Notification of Service Work with Ausgrid or Endeavour Energy, and you can check your network area in seconds with our postcode checker.

5. Decide the phase question once

Some all-electric homes need three phase power. Many do not. It depends on the size of the home, the aircon choice, EV plans and how loads are timed. What hurts is answering it twice: electrifying on single phase, then discovering the ducted system or a 22kW EV charger needs a three phase upgrade after all.

Make the call early with our single vs three phase decision guide, and see what changes in a three phase upgrade if the answer is yes. Doing the upgrade once, before the appliance swaps, beats retrofitting it into a half finished plan.

6. Get the tariff right as you go

All-electric homes shift more of the bill onto electricity, so the tariff matters more. Hot water belongs on controlled load or a timed circuit, flexible loads belong in the off peak windows, and the metering to support that is part of the electrical work, not an afterthought. Our smart meter upgrade team handles that alongside the circuits.

7. Sequence the gas exit properly

The electrical work and the gas work are separate trades. The clean order: electrical capacity confirmed first, new circuits and appliances in second, and the gas capped off by a licensed gasfitter once nothing depends on it. Running both fuels indefinitely means paying two supply charges, which is one of the quiet costs our heat pump vs gas comparison weighs up.

How High Demand Electrical helps

We do the part nobody else quotes: the whole-of-home plan. That means a site assessment of your board, supply and mains, a maximum demand calculation for the finished home, a clear answer on the phase question, and the circuits, board work and metering staged into as few visits as possible. If a supply upgrade is needed, we are Level 2 ASP accredited on both Sydney networks, so the network application and connection work stay in house.

All-electric home FAQs (Sydney)

Do I need three phase power to go all-electric?

Not necessarily. Plenty of Sydney homes electrify fully on single phase, especially with a heat pump on controlled load and no 22kW EV charging. Large ducted systems and multi EV households are the usual reasons the answer becomes yes.

Can I electrify in stages?

Yes, and most people do. Staging is fine as long as the endpoint plan exists first, so every stage lands on a board and supply that can take it.

Will going all-electric lower my bills?

An efficient heat pump moves heat rather than generating it, and dropping the gas supply charge helps, but the outcome depends on your tariff and usage patterns. The comparison in our hot water guide is a good starting point.

What should I replace first?

Whatever is oldest or failing, provided the board check has happened. If the switchboard itself is dated, upgrading it first makes every later swap simpler and cheaper.

Plan the switch properly

Get a power supply and switchboard assessment quote or call 0402 559 777 and we will map your all-electric plan. Every job starts with a site assessment before scope and pricing are confirmed.